His Absolute Arrangement: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #1)

by du Lys, Cerys

  'I think if you had closed the door, I'd be tossed across the desk with my skirt hiked up, pantyhose pulled down, and spanked right about now, so maybe it's best that you didn't." I grinned.

  "Tonight, though, right?" he asked. His eyes glimmered with the most charming hope and excitement I'd ever seen. I loved seeing Asher get so excited. It was infectious.

  "Hm..." I said, pretending to think about it. "I don't know, Asher. It might be better if we waited until tomorrow, don't you think?"

  "Jessika, I can't," he said. "I mean, I don't think I can. There's the party to think of, too, and who knows when everyone will leave? It's our party, so it's not like we can just disappear, do our thing, and come back. I want to spend a little more time on it than that, anyways."

  "Our party, yes," I said, nodding confirmation.

  "I know it's technically in celebration of one of our foreign business agreements closing last week, but I've invited a few extra people."

  "Huh?"

  "I know our wedding wasn't the most engaging. It was quiet and nice, but I know that's not what you wanted. Even before I read what you wrote just now, I could have guessed. Not a lot of people actually want a quiet wedding. I understand that. So, I thought that maybe tonight could be a wedding party of sorts? I invited your mother and some of your friends. My mother and stepfather will be there, too. I know it's not the same, but I thought we could have a little gathering beforehand and—" He stopped. I must have been looking at him strangely and I belatedly realized my mouth had been open for awhile. I probably looked like that girl who had stopped to stare at us only a moment ago, though for an entirely different reason.

  "You planned out a wedding party?" I asked. "We're celebrating something entirely different, but you planned it so that we could have a huge wedding party at the same time?"

  "Um, kind of?" he said. "I doubt it'll be as wedding-centric as an actual wedding party. I did hire a catering service to bake a giant cake, but I'm not sure about the usual wedding party games and other events. If you want, we could do a first dance with you and your father? I asked if everyone would be willing to come early so we could do a quick vow renewal ceremony, too. It won't be legitimate and real, just us and our friends and family, but your father wanted to walk you down the aisle."

  "Asher..." I nearly choked up, crying. Who was this man and how did I ever come to know him? How could I ever deserve him?

  "You don't like it?" he asked; his eyes flashed with panic and pain. "I should have told you earlier. I wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise. I thought we could plan out a real wedding party and arrangement later, but everything happened and this came together, so I thought... I'm stupid, aren't I? To combine a wedding party with a corporate celebration? I'm an idiot. Jessika, I'm sorry. I really am. I wasn't thinking."

  "What?" I laughed. Asher rarely acted this way. He always seemed so confident and secure in himself. "Asher, no. No, I love it. I do. I'm so happy. I can't believe you planned all of this. Is it real? Are you being serious?"

  He let out a noticeable sigh of relief. "No. Well, yes. Yes, it's serious. It's real, but I do want to plan something with you, too. You've just been so distracted sometimes lately, and I was actually going to keep it a surprise until tonight, but then I saw your story, and I knew I needed to tell you now. I thought I screwed up for a second there."

  I bent forward and put my hands on his cheeks, pulling him to me. Pressing my lips to his, I kissed him. We lingered like that, affectionate and loving. I cared for this man so much. I loved him with everything I was. And he loved me, too, didn't he? I never needed to worry. I never needed to doubt him or myself or anything involving the both of us.

  I never needed to...

  Someone standing in the doorway to my office cleared their throat. "Excuse me," he said. "Am I interrupting?"

  I snapped my attention towards the man, planning to become as serious and austere as Asher and force him to wander off while mumbling incoherently.

  Except, no, that would never happen. Lucent stood in my office doorway, smiling amiably, holding a folder full of documents.

  "Oh," I said. "Lucent. Hello."

  "Good afternoon, Mrs. Landseer. I apologize for interrupting you and Mr. Landseer."

  "You can call me Jessika," I said. "And you've known Asher longer than me. I think you can call him Asher, too."

  Lucent shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I appreciate your consideration," he said.

  By that, I knew he meant that he wouldn't be doing either of those things any time soon. I'd tried to get him to refer to us on a first name basis for awhile now, but he only seemed able to do it with one person, and even then, not always. The thought made me smile, though.

  "Where's Elise?" I asked.

  Lucent smiled softly, losing his strict sense of self for a moment. "Miss Tanner is currently writing her next story for publication with Landseer Publishing. I believe she'll want to show that to you shortly. This one is a good one, she's assured me."

  "I'm sure it is," I said, trying not to laugh. Elise was... Elise. Miss Tanner, as Lucent called her, and entirely unlike Lucent in some of the most extreme ways possible. They went together so wonderful because of it, though.

  "Did you invite Lucent and Elise?" I asked Asher.

  "Invite them to...?"

  "The party?"

  "If you're speaking of the celebration of Landseer Enterprises arranging a foreign rights agreement for tourism and traveling in Greece, yes," Lucent said. "I'll make sure Miss Tanner attends, and of course I'll be there."

  "She doesn't want to go, huh?"

  Lucent merely smiled and said nothing.

  "It's not that, though," I said. "Asher planned something else beforehand, and I'd like for you both to come if he hasn't invited you already."

  "Oh?" Lucent asked, lifting one brow.

  Asher explained it; he told Lucent about the wedding party plans, and the cake, and everything else. Thankfully he left out my writing about our quaint wedding, because I didn't know if I wanted to tell everyone about that. I'd started writing it in hopes of figuring out some sort of story to publish soon, but in hindsight maybe that wasn't the best topic for a book.

  "We'd be honored to attend," Lucent said.

  "Oh, good," I said. "Good. I'm really glad. I'll send her an email letting her know, too. It doesn't have to be too dressy, alright? Just come in whatever you want. Be comfortable. Casual? At least a little formal, but nothing excessive, you know?"

  "Yes, of course," Lucent said. "And, if you don't mind my intrusion, may I speak with Mr. Landseer about the weekly reports? It's of a semi-urgent nature."

  I shrugged and nodded. "Sure?"

  Asher rose from his chair, but not before giving me another quick kiss. "Remember, though," he said to me. "We need to meet to discuss some things a few hours before the party. It's important. I told you before that it couldn't wait, and I meant it."

  "Oh?" I asked, feigning demurity. "What do we need to discuss?"

  "Important things," Asher said with a silly glare. "Very important ones, Jessika. It can't wait. Meet me in our bedroom two hours before the party is set to start. I expect you to be there promptly, and in appropriate attire."

  "Yes, sir," I said, nodding twice. "I understand, Mr. Landseer."

  "Don't you Mr. Landseer me, Mrs. Landseer."

  I rolled my eyes. Asher went to join Lucent and the two of them left. I heard them talking as they walked down the halls of Landseer Tower, but I couldn't make out what they said. Sighing to myself and turning back to my laptop, I spared a glance at what I'd written.

  Hm... should I continue? It was getting to a sexy part, which might be fun. I wasn't sure I wanted to publish this, or even if anyone would want to read it, but maybe it'd be fun to relive the memory a little? Asher really had been amazing right then, whether we were officially married yet or not. It wasn't as if that was the first time we'd had sex. Nor the last. Thank God it wasn't the last! I didn't think I could handle t
hat.

  When was the first, though? Did the time in his office count? I was just a temp worker then, and... I still couldn't believe he'd done that! It was so outrageous. And arousing. It confused me at the time, but thinking back on it, it was hot. Hotter than hot. That wasn't actually sex, though. So... after? The next day, sort of? Photography?

  This was a bad train of thought, and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself now. Well, if I was going to think about these things, I told myself I might as well type them out, too. That seemed slightly more productive, right? It was practice. Writer's training. Yes, that was it.

  I buckled down and wrote a sex scene. I wondered if I should embellish it a little, but in thinking about it more, I realized I didn't even have to. Just write what you know, right? I laughed to myself while typing. Hopefully no one snuck up on me and started reading this story, because that might be a little awkward.

  ***

  Asher walked beside Lucent down the hallway of the Landseer corporate office building. It always surprised him how far he'd come and what he now controlled. True, his father had built up this empire and set a solid foundation for his son to take over after his unfortunate death, but Asher had built it up even further. He hoped to make Landseer Enterprises more formidable and powerful in the future, too. Not because he needed more; because, to be honest, he could purchase almost anything he wanted without even blinking an eye.

  No, he wanted to give more to everyone. He wanted to allow anyone to afford luxury, within reason, because he felt like everyone deserved it sometimes. The hard working, single mother who spent long hours in a job just so she could try to save money for her child's college fund and help her daughter become better in life? The men and women, thinking themselves locked into minor jobs working in coffee shops or restaurants, with low self-esteem, scared to ask someone on a date because they didn't think they had anything of worth to offer? Anyone who didn't have the means to afford even a slight vacation every year, a day trip, a weekend getaway, some sort of happiness to let them know the world wasn't a horrible place, anything...

  He wanted to give them something to look forward to, and at less extreme costs but without lowering the quality of the experience. Unfortunately, it wasn't always possible with vacation resorts, casinos, and the things that his father had built up over the years. Asher doubted his father had really considered a more giving attitude when creating Landseer Enterprises in the first place. His father had wanted to give to his own family, first and foremost, and Asher understood and appreciated that.

  Now, though, Asher didn't need more. He wanted to give, too, but he needed to find a better way to do it.

  Thus, the various other entertainment arms of Landseer Enterprises were born. Publishing, books, music, short films, festivals for all of those, and more. Free outdoor entertainment venues sponsored by not only Landseer Enterprises, but other businesses, as well. Local, national, international; it didn't matter. There were ways to give to people without losing anything in the process. Everyone could gain from this, and that's exactly what Asher wanted to happen.

  "The books are performing lower than expectations dictated," Lucent said, browsing through a document as he and Asher walked the halls.

  "Do we have any recommendations for helping that?" Asher asked.

  Lucent scowled at the paper in front of him, then handed it to Asher without saying more. Asher read it, lips pursed, considering the data written therein.

  "So... we find more writers? Or tempt authors to Landseer Publishing with quality offers? How do we know they'll succeed, though? Can we afford to have negative profit for an extended period of time?" Asher asked.

  "Unfortunately, all of these entertainment avenues that Landseer Enterprises has been slipping into are much less obvious and overt in regards to success," Lucent said. "I don't believe the issue resides in quality or quantity, so much as persistence and dedication."

  "You don't think we can do anything, then?" Asher asked. It sounded odd coming from Lucent, but who knew?

  "The advice is sound," Lucent said. "Finding more authors will increase the awareness of Landseer Publishing and bring prestige to that aspect of the business. It's possible that the music industry will benefit from similar treatment, along with filmography and everything else. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, though. That's all."

  "Bitter, because...?"

  "Miss Tanner and Mrs. Landseer try their best, which is all anyone can ask of them. Bringing in new authors seems to downplay their efforts and qualify them as 'not good enough,' which may lower their sense of self worth and lessen their enthusiasm in continuing with their endeavors."

  "Oh," Asher said. He thought he should say more, but he wasn't sure where to go from there.

  "Indeed," Lucent agreed.

  "Perhaps they should write something else instead?" Asher offered. "Or is it too soon to tell? Perhaps they just need more books out? Can we do audiobooks? Elise and Jessika could narrate them, couldn't they? That'd save costs, and be a fun sort of experiment, I guess. Can we get into the trade paperback business, perhaps? Move from electronic to physical, offer a wider variety of content? Landseer Publishing is just starting, so we need to keep expectations in check, don't we?"

  Lucent frowned, blinked, stared at the folder of documents in front of him, stopped walking, frowned again, and...

  "Lucent, what's wrong?" Asher asked.

  "This is between you and I," he said. "Also, to preface what I'm about to say, I mean this in the nicest of ways." Lucent cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm unsure if I would feel comfortable with Miss Tanner narrating her book for a public audience."

  "She wrote the book, though. She published it and everything. People have bought it, haven't they? We gave away—" Asher paused to check the paper in his hand. "Is this a lot? We've given away nearly 3,000 copies through promotional efforts. That seems alright, doesn't it?"

  "According to my sources, an excellent free promotional period is more akin to tens of thousands of copies downloaded, so in those regards Miss Tanner's e-book is performing below average, as well. I haven't informed her of this as of yet, and I'd appreciate it if this remained between you and I."

  "Alright, so...?"

  "My caution comes from the fact that her sole book as of now is of an extremely erotic nature and I believe she'll narrate it as such," Lucent said.

  Asher blinked, frowned, stared at the paper in his hand, blinked again...

  "So you're saying that she'll get too into the sexy parts?" he asked. "Wouldn't that potentially be good? I mean, we've never really considered adding phone sex operators as a part of our business operations, but it sounds nicer if you sell erotic audiobooks doesn't it?"

  Lucent scowled. "Audiobook narration isn't nearly the same as phone sex."

  "I'm just saying that it could appeal to some sort of demographic. People buy the book, don't they?" He checked the number of copies sold thus far. "Is this good?"

  "Not particularly."

  "Oh."

  "I approve of Miss Tanner's enthusiasm and curiosity in exploring her ideas, but I feel as if she may be better served—and that Mrs. Landseer may also be better served—by writing to an audience that prefers longer works. This allows us more vantage points to access, if you will. Audiobooks and trade paperbacks, yes, but also film opportunities, as well."

  "I suppose you don't want to turn her current book into a short film? Have her play the starring role?" Asher stifled a laugh, and forced himself to stifle it further when Lucent jerked his head to the side and stared at him with an expression bordering on horror.

  "What!"

  "You'd play opposite her, of course! We wouldn't just hire some random person. There's erotic content in that book, you know? We'd need to make the experience genuine and thrilling."

  "Have you read the book, Asher? Really, have you? I've read it. I actually hope you haven't read it. But, here, let me summarize it for you. It starts out with Miss Tanner writing the book, an
d this happens inside of the book. Then it switches to her falling asleep. I've shackled her to my bed in my apartment. She's no longer on birth control. I use multiple methods to bring her to climax in order to make her womb more fertile for impregnation, and then I have my way with her and fill her with my seed."

  Asher snickered. A woman passing by the two of them in the hall hesitated for a moment upon hearing Lucent speak, her ears burning a deep shade of red, and then she forced herself to continue walking, albeit with a wobbling, knee-clenched gait.

  "Well, there's more to it after that, isn't there?" Asher asked, no longer able to hide his amusement. He laughed aloud, filling the quiet corporate halls with the sound of his mirth. "I mean, it all turns out well in the end, doesn't it?"

  "I am many things but I'm not a spoiler of stories, Mr. Landseer. I refuse to indulge your callous amusement towards my anguish in this situation."

  "You referred to me as Asher before," Asher pointed out.

  "A mistake. My apologies."

  "Alright," Asher said, breathing in deeply. "Maybe a lot of what I said is a bad idea. What do you recommend, then? Maybe just something longer? Less sexual? More birth control?"

  "I feel as if longer stories or novels would sell better, yes. I'm unsure if the contents other than that would have any effect on sales to an extreme degree. We should recommend lengthier publishing prospects in the future and discover the results through first hand experience, then move forward from there."

  "Sounds good," Asher said. "What's Elise working on now, then?"

  "I am assured that it's good, but I'm scared to read it."

  "Oh."

  "She's informed me it involves excessive manual stimulation and squirting."

  "Like a squirt gun? Water fight in the summer?"

  "One can only hope, though I believe it is best not to set my expectations high."

  Asher chuckled and nodded. "I'm sure it's fine. It's just the beginning, anyways, so it's a good time for experimentation, right? I'll pass along the information about attempting something longer and let Jessika know, though. It probably wouldn't hurt to open up submissions for other authors, as well. Nothing serious and locked-in, but the potential to bring someone in if they show an interest and connection with the brand."